PagesPat's Ponderings

Monday, May 21, 2018

Can you believe that May is almost over? This year is especially flying by so fast! That's why it's so important to wake up from your daily grind and take a moment to live in it. Look around you and enjoy the colors, breathe in the smells of new growth and blooming flowers, and listen to the birds sing to each other.
When I go walking with my dog Wilson, I sometimes pretend I'm on a scavenger hunt, only the list is empty until I fill it. Will I find a black squirrel today, hear a woodpecker, watch a busy bee drink from a flower? Can I identify the flowers in bloom (most times no, I'm not a flower gardener)? At these times, I am not worrying about what to cook for dinner, where I put the checkbook or whose turn it is to clean the bathroom. I am in the moment, and it is my zen time (except for diligently picking up whatever Wilson leaves behind).
What does all this have to do with this month's challenge at the Path of Positivity? Nothing, I just wanted to share with you the secret to my sanity, and my positivity. Along these mindful walks, I also drink in a multitude of colors, which (here it is) segues into the theme at the Path of Positivity's Challenge: Choose Your Own Color(s).
I have a secret I want to share with you - I don't have one true favorite color. I am an eclectic lover of color. I never met a color I didn't like (well, I don't consider greige a color, what is that anyway?). So when it comes to such an open-ended challenge like the one offered at the Path, I took the word "choose" to heart. I guess if I had to pinpoint the colors in this card, it would have to be shades of yellow, orange and purple - good solid summer colors.
I got to play with a digital image from one of two guest sponsors this month, Sheepski Designs. Andrea's store has grown so much in the last year or two and her designs are awesome. I chose one called Butterfly Curls. I am STILL trying to get my printer to behave, so my card today is 100% digital.
I started with a personal photograph of my daughter's summer garden, where she planted flowers especially pleasing to butterflies. I toned down the opaqueness and placed it onto a paper I made using Photoshop's Magic Paintbrush, which makes the background look like it's against a wood fence. I added the pre-colored image of my butterflies (damn printer) and then wrote out my sentiment in a font called Leathery Soft. To finish off my card, I framed it with Pixel Scrapper Sunny Faith Rush's Mellow Yellow Frame 1.
I CAN'T WAIT TO PRINT THIS OUT!!

Meanwhile, let me tell you about the challenge at the Path of Positivity:

You get to ChooseYourFavouriteColour(s). Whether a single color or a small selection, it is up to you. You can also use some different colors if you'd like but if you would like a chance to win the prize for the Most Inspirational Creation,over half of the colours in your project must be based on your your FavouriteColour(s)! You can choose to color your image(s) and/or use your choice of colored papers and embellishments. Just make sure that the majority of your project focuses on the color(s) that you love the most.

If you do follow the optional theme, be sure to add FT after your name so that we include you in the draw for the prize for Most Inspirational.
You will also need to let us know somewhere in your post exactly what your FavouriteColour(s) are. Without this information, you won't be eligible to qualify for the MI prize.

Additionally, though completely optional, we'd also love to find out how your FavouriteColour(s) make you feel, if you'd like to share that with us.What kinds of feelings do these colours evoke in you? You can write a sentence or two in the body of your post, write a sentence at the bottom of your post next to the link up for this challenge, or simply leave a comment on this post if you'd like.

Remember, in order to be considered eligible for this month's prizes, ALL creations must be positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some nature. You don't need to follow the optional theme if you simply want to have a chance at the Random Draw prize of THREE digital images of your choice from SheepSki Designs,

one of our guest sponsors this month. You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win an additional sponsored prize of a $15 gift certificate from Lunagirl,

the second of our guest sponsors this month, for the project chosen as Most Inspiring.

That's it in a nutshell! Create with color, share with us at the Path of Positivity, and have FUN with your favorite colors!!

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

I don't know why, but I don't have a lot of cards I can give to the men in my life. Honestly, I have more girlfriends and family members than guys, so that may be the reason, but I should still keep a few cards on hand. Sine I'm still building my stash of Thank You cards, I thought this Scribbles Designs image, called Hammer, would be perfect for the sentiment I am using.
Usually I embellish with flowers and flourishes and bows, so I had to scrounge around and came up with a few brads. I tore the paper to give it rough edges, and also doodled my own patterns on it to break up all that empty space (I can't call it white now,can I?).
Besides this gem of an image from the Scribbles Store, I printed Sharon Dewi Stolp's Bricks Paint Spray onto the sentiment (you can just barely see it). The fonts I used are Big Book & Due Date.
The challenge theme over at Scribbles Designs is MAKE IT MASCULINE, so you need to feature a guy or gear your card toward guys if you want a chance to win free digis from the Scribbles Store.
Happy Crafting, and good luck!

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

For my DT make today, I am following both this month's challenge theme at Scribbles Designs, which is to feature or create for, a feminine, as well as my own mission to build up my stash of Thank You cards.
I love this cute digi image from the Scribbles Store. It's called Bunny Bum, and goes perfectly with my grateful sentiment of "Thanks for having my back." My life has been turned upside down these last few months, and if it weren't for a load of wonderful caring people, I would be lost. I have had quite a need for thank you cards lately. I want to make sure I always have extra on hand.

While surfing through my stash of craft supplies, I came across an envelope that was beautifully decorated but oddly shaped. So I cut out some of the decoration and used it to set the garden scene on my card. After that, it was just a matter of finding the right colored cardstock and tearing some for texture. I paper-pieced my image, using Copics to give it dimension before popping it into my "garden". I kept my card simple with some faux stitches along the edges and my die-cut sentiment.

The challenge at Scribbles Designs goes through the 14th of May, so don't forget to link up your card or project to the main blog for you chance to win free digis at the Scribbles Store!! Good luck and happy crafting!

Monday, April 23, 2018

I do not like to create round cards. Most of the time they just don't look good. However, this time, I think I have a winner. LOL Anyway, my printer has been acting up lately. It printed an extra copy of this cute bunny image from Scribbles Designs, so I grabbed whatever leftovers were on my desk and created this for my stash of Thank You cards. The image is called B Bunny Joy and the sentiment is from Stampin Up.

Sunday, April 15, 2018

Ah, the beloved cat! Those curious, sweet, four-legged furry creatures that sit innocently watching the Christmas tree and all those beautiful baubles shining in it. Until those tempting balls of fun drive our lovable but mischievous fur-balls into the heart of the tree to wreak a bit of holiday havoc! And yet, the holidays wouldn't be the same without this family tradition of cat vs. tree. So this month, cats rule and dogs drool.

As you can read from the intro above, the 12 Months of Christmas Challenge Blog is midway through its newest holiday theme of Festive Feline. I've got a new holiday card for you. I got to play with a digi image from my favorite artist, Sue Eisenhower, owner and artist of Ike's Art. My image is called Basket Case, and a picture formed in my head of a cat trying to wait up for Santa but not being very successful. But like a dog who can hear the refrigerator open from across the street, my kitten hears a jingle and peeks its sleepy head up to see where the noise is coming from.My card is a hybrid mix of hand-colored image and digital papers with one digital element (the cat's cap). How I do this is to print and color my image and take a photo of it. Then I can digitally "fussy-cut" my image onto the digital papers, adding a sentiment. Once I like what I've created, I print my card, backing it onto cardstock (this time with glitter paper as well). Then I can add other embellishments from my stash.

Back to the challenge at the 12 Months of Christmas. In order to have a chance to win the prize from their guest sponsor,Ike's Art, you are asked to create a card that has a CAT as the focal point. You can choose any kind of cat image--wild, domestic, cartooned or something in-between. Whether you want to wish someone FleasNavidad or hope they have a Pawsome Christmas, it is time to get into a furry mood.

If you do follow the optional theme, be sure to add FT after your name so that you are included in the draw for the prize.

Of course you don't need to follow the theme to earn a free paper each month or for a chance to win the featured paper set. You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win this month's sponsored prize of

Tropical greetings to you all, crafters! I am building up my stash of Thank You cards and found the perfect image at the Scribbles Store. She's called Carrie Summer Diva and can be found HERE.

This month, the challenge theme over at Scribbles Designs is "Femme Fatale" so if you want a chance to win your choice of free digis at the Scribbles Store, create and link up a card featuring or geared toward women. I went with Carrie Summer Diva because I've been wishing I could hop on a plane and go south (way south). I need to feel sand between my toes and hear waves lapping at the shore. And now that I've finished my card, the call of the tropics is louder and much more clear. (sigh)
In the meantime, enjoy the Spring weather for those of you in the Northern hemisphere. For those of you down under, enjoy the Autumn in all its glory!

Sunday, April 8, 2018

One of my favorite designers hosts a Progressive Freebie Challenge on Facebook. This month is the second challenge, so in order to start receiving your free digital images, if you haven't already, you'll need to buy April's image from Ike's Art Store, and it's ONLY $1!
I was worried because my printer is on the fritz. I just may have to put him out to pasture, and I am not happy about it. Meanwhile, I can't print out my images to color and craft with, so I am resorting to digital and hybrid cards. The card above is a hybrid. It mixes a watercolor I painted of a toadstool I came across while walking through the woods, with this digitally-colored fairy. Since I can't print out my card to embellish it, I resorted to digital elements to finish off my card.
The nice thing about my hybrid card is that once I get my printer working (or replace him), I can print out several copies of my card, so I'll have a nice little stash of Thank You cards on hand.
Here is what went into my card:
Original watercolor by Pat Martin
Ike's Art Cute Fairy Digital ImagePixel Scrappers: A Janner's Leather Strap 003; Janet Scott's Tag Template 002; Sheila Reid's Shine Teal & Gold Butterfly; Tina Shaw's Puffy Paint Tiny Butterflies Scatter, and MLD's Hollister String.
Font: LD Handwritten Greetings